Young pianist shines in concert

Zhou Qirun may be just 11 but his skills on the piano impressed the audience at the Kwanglim Art Center in Seoul, South Korea recently. The young Chinese star performed alongside conductor Jeong Ju Young, the resident conductor of the Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, delivering a stunning rendition of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.

This concert marks Zhou's first collaboration with an orchestra to perform a complete piano concerto.

"With remarkable focus and a clear, commanding touch, this young pianist demonstrates outstanding musicality and emerges as a highly promising artist of the next generation," the conductor said after the concert.

The concert was organized by the Pianists of Asia Pacific Association (PAPA), with 14-year-old Korean Yeseo Nam performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor.

"Qirun demonstrates flashes of brilliance and energy in his touch, and with continued effort to develop more subtle and varied tonal colors, he is expected to achieve even greater artistic growth," said Sang-il Han, the chairman of PAPA and a teacher at Yonsei University and Seoul Arts High School, praised Zhou's performance.

Born in Beijing in 2013, Zhou has been studying under pianist Chen Yunjie since he was eight. In 2024, he was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music's primary school. Zhou has won numerous piano competitions, including first place in the children's category of the 2023 Pearl River Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition, the gold award in the children's C group of the 2024 Liszt International Youth Piano Competition China Selection, first prize in the National Chamber Music category of the China Youth Music Competition Hummingbird Music Award, and first place in the A group of the Maria Herrero International Piano Competition in Spain.

The Pianists of Asia Pacific Association was founded in 2024 by Sang-il Han and Soo-Yeon Ham, a Korean pianist teaching at Hebei University. Han serves as the chairman, and Ham as the director, with several piano educators from China and South Korea joining the effort. The association is dedicated to promoting the development of piano music performance and teaching in Asia and fostering the spread of classical music, especially piano art, through international exchanges. The association will also host a Young Talents Piano Concert in Daegu this September and plans to launch an international expansion initiative next year.